The study, funded by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association, found that one in five lawyers (20.6 percent) are problem drinkers who consume alcohol at levels considered "hazardous, harmful and potentially alcohol-dependent."

That's a rate three times higher than government estimates for the general population.

The conclusion was based on the anonymous responses of 12,825 licensed, employed lawyers, including judges, from 19 states to a 10-part questionnaire about their alcohol use and their careers.

You've heard the old joke about some multitude of lawyers at the bottom of the ocean being a good idea. Lawyers at the bottom of a bottle is a bad one.

With the exception of perhaps media, no profession influences everyday lives more than lawyers. They're behind every piece of legislation, real estate transaction and school permission slip, not to mention the justice system.

Indeed, Astacio was on her way to take the bench for morning arraignments when State Police ticketed her on Interstate 490.

The study's lead author, Patrick Krill, believes the findings should be a call to action.

Bar associations have been aware of the problem for the better part of 30 years, and have introduced specialized treatment programs like Krill's, which speaks to the extent of substance abuse in the field.

"The problem is there's been a lack of buy-in from the private sector, attorneys, law firms and law schools," Krill said. "They've failed to address the problem in meaningful ways."

Law isn't the only field in which alcohol abuse is prevalent. Doctors, pilots, police officers and, yes, journalists have been known to imbibe to excess.

But lawyers stand alone in the degree of their drinking, according to the study.

When researchers only considered answers to questions about volume and frequency of alcohol use, they determined that more than a third of respondents (36.4 percent) drank at levels consistent with "possible alcohol abuse or dependence."

The study didn't touch on the origin of the problem, but nearly half of its heavy drinkers said their dependency began during their first 15 years in the field, a time synonymous with long hours, poor work-life balance and crippling debt.

Seven percent of respondents listed their work environment as "judicial chambers," an indication they were either law clerks or judges.

"Being a lawyer is a very difficult job," said Terrance Emmens, a partner at the law firm of Lacy Katzen in Rochester and head of the Monroe County Bar Association's substance abuse program, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.

Emmens acknowledged struggling with alcohol dependency for 30 years before getting sober nine years ago.

"If you're not well equipped to manage conflict, then it's pretty easy to pour something on top of those feelings rather than deal with them," Emmens said. "If that becomes a pattern, then that becomes a problem."

None of this suggests that Astacio was drunk behind the wheel. Her lawyer, Ed Fiandach, said it's not clear that alcohol was involved. Astacio is scheduled to answer her charge in court on March 11.

But her ticket and the study present an opportunity for the roughly 2,000 members of Rochester's legal community to talk openly about alcohol dependency.

Survey respondents cited their fear of others finding out about their drinking as the biggest barrier to getting help.